Best way to mount hydralic hookups for grapple

[flyinghigh]

Anyone have suggestions for how to best mount these on the loader? PN for a plate or other idea? Which direction is best?

Thanks!

 

[2manyrocks]

The way I went about this on my L2501 was to figure out where they could be positioned without the hoses or connections interfering with anything else + ease of disconnecting. The generic mounting bracket that came with my kit didn't really work well as it came so I had to figure out how to modify it to get the hookups positioned like I wanted.

 

[Hay Dude]

I like to use male couplers on the tractor side and female couplers on the attachment side. I also point the male couplers upward towards the sky. I find it’s much easier to pull back on female side collar, then use my body weight to push it onto the male coupler mounted on the tractor’s loader crossmember.

 

[Torvy]

I like to use male couplers on the tractor side and female couplers on the attachment side. I also point the male couplers upward towards the sky. I find it’s much easier to pull back on female side collar, then use my body weight to push it onto the male coupler mounted on the tractor’s loader crossmember.

View attachment 807776


View attachment 807777

Pretty sure those are nonbinary connectors and your heteronormative assumptions are a microagression.

 

[oosik]

WoW! Torvy - what are you trying to tell Hay Dude??? My grapple controls are installed right above the main member on the FEL. In the space between the tractor body and the FEL vertical arm. The hydraulic lines are attached to the FEL arm and run on the arm - out to the grapple. It's not an easy installation to show by picture. Here is my controls.

 

[Hay Dude]

WoW! Torvy - what are you trying to tell Hay Dude??? My grapple controls are installed right above the main member on the FEL. In the space between the tractor body and the FEL vertical arm. The hydraulic lines are attached to the FEL arm and run on the arm - out to the grapple. It's not an easy installation to show by picture. Here is my controls.
View attachment 807810

That looks easy to connect/disconnect.
NOT

 

[oosik]

Probably not the easiest - Hay Dude. I've NEVER disconnected at the control point shown in the pic. I always disconnect out at the grapple - outboard end of the FEL. There is a plate - mounted way out on the FEL. Hydraulic connect/disconnect fittings are mounted out there.

I have no pics of that location. Black as tar outside. But - here is a pic of the plate and fittings at the outboard end of the FEL. Luckily I didn't step in anything obnoxious on this early AM venture.

 

[ddbackhoe]

Pretty sure those are nonbinary connectors and your heteronormative assumptions are a microagression.

What stupid training class did someone make you attend?

 

[Hay Dude]

Probably not the easiest - Hay Dude. I've NEVER disconnected at the control point shown in the pic. I always disconnect out at the grapple - outboard end of the FEL. There is a plate - mounted way out on the FEL. Hydraulic connect/disconnect fittings are mounted out there.

I have no pics of that location. Black as tar outside. But - here is a pic of the plate and fittings at the outboard end of the FEL. Luckily I didn't step in anything obnoxious on this early AM venture.
View attachment 807811

Yeah his picture is of the loader disconnects. I was just pointing out how crowded they are.

I have read probably a dozen different threads on how difficult hydraulic connections are to handle for some of our less physically strong TBN’ers are.
I have found that pushing the female connector on the male connector is easier that the other way around.
If you install the male connectors on the loader crossbar upward, that allows one to use their body weight to lean on the female connector downward onto the male. Only situation where it still is difficult is if the attachment is left in the sun and expands in the attachment hoses, but easy to resolve that.

 

[2manyrocks]

I can see using only male couplers pointed up vertically, but I wouldn't install a female coupler pointing upward because it would trap debris.

Most couplers I see installed on skid steers are oriented horizontally, but sloping downwards I suppose so they can be flushed out.